Show Reviews

The three shows at the Greek picked up right where the first leg of Summer Tour left off - with patient exploratory jamming and deep listening, amply demonstrating the band's growing ability (willingness) to sink into ideas rather than chasing them 'round like rabbits. You should seek out all three.

This show's second set is the best of a very good run. For one thing, it's not marred by any segue calamities like 8/6. On the contrary, there are a few HOT DAMN transitions and juxtapositions here, not least the soaring 2001 > Suzy > Orgasmic Suzy Reprise > Slave run to close. The Wilson > Light segue is less interesting than the Light > ambient chillout/meltdown > 20 Years series, transitions-wise, but the playing within each song is so good that such comparisons just don't matter.

Phish is miles beyond 2009 at this point. There are points in the Berkeley run (on this night, e.g.: Hood, 46 Days, Suzy Reprise, the magical jam out of Light) where Trey plays with the directness and purity of that local shaggy bearded guitar fella with the nine fingers. (Y'know, old what's-his-name, now gone...) Meanwhile the other three players have far surpassed themselves over the last year and a half; Fishman in particular has kicked off all the rust that accumulated during the breakup, and is playing in a version of his rollicking 2003-04 style, but with the precision of his late-90's work and a brand new openheartedness. Page and Mike are at a peak, *again*, and the ensemble's center of gravity has perceptibly shifted; Mike's taking a lead role in several jams, and Page can take more of the texture/rhythm responsibilities than ever before, so Trey can afford to breathe more - to be a part of the evolving moment instead of needing to generate all its energy himself.

Trey's finally able to be just a guitarist, instead of the nuclear reactor that powers the whole band - not to mention the organization, the traveling circus, a whole latter-day youth subculture in farcical rerun...

This is the best phish show I have seen since 7/20/98. An absolute stunner of a show. Top to bottom great flow & energy. The Greek is a beautiful venue, perfect size and INCREDIBLE sound. Up top you have a view of San Francisco Bay in the distance. I think by night 3 Phish had this place dialed in. The interplay between band members was incredible. Everyone listening and playing off eachother's riffs all night long in EVERY song. The ACDC Bag opener was played more ferociously than any other version since the comeback. Listen to the height that Trey takes his solo, just kicking it up notch after notch until he is about to pop a string then bam - FOAM. Awesome version with nice extended full band improve in the later half. Boy they were loose and sounding great already. The interplay between Trey & Page in Jibboo was awesome, copying eachother's riffs, taking them further. Everyone erupts when Trey let loose the delay loop, ahhh that sound. Why retire it Trey? Bring it back! Best Reba of 3.0 with a soaring jam this time Mike & Trey are dancing around each other. Killer build! It should be said that Trey busted out a new guitar for these shows and I think by night 3 he was in love and it shows throughout this show. Sleep Again & Army of One were both well played, enjoyable and a perfect couple of chill tunes after the build of the first 4 songs of the set. Poor Hear got everyone up then 46 Days > Tube > Character Zero blasted us into setbreak with a wonderful force and energy. Positive vibes all around the Greek, no tweakers. Seemed like most everyone there was for the music, lots of laughs, high fives and loooong lines for the bathroom. City lights in the background the entire time. Set two opened with a well played Wilson into Light. Light went deep (for 3.0 phish) into Type II jam territory with full band deconstruction of the jam before what is the best piece of musical improvisation I have ever witnessed and possibly ever heard. Up there with the 4/3/98 Roses are Free jam IMO this piece of improv took off where the 8/7/09 Sally > Jam at the Gorge left off. A summer jam of such beauty it needs to be heard over and over again. It is something I will return to until the day I die, just like those other phish jams that have become part of who I am. Light landed in 20 years later which I thought was perfectly placed both musically & lyrically. Then the most soaring heartfelt Hood I have ever seen. Listen to the note trey sustains for over a minute, then loops then solos over the loop he created. It was incredible live and it holds up 100% on tape. Killer Trey solo in Theme which was also perfectly placed in the set & then a funky & patient 2001 before the hottest Suzy I have ever heard. Even better than the Festival 8 version. Page's 2nd solo fired up the band so much that when they closed the song Trey started strumming his guitar hard demanding a solo, band heard it and started the jam again and Trey absolutely shredded his new guitar like it was '93. Then Slave, again the best build in any 3.0 Slave so far. HUGE show. Then Lizards my favorite phish tune in the world as an encore. HAHA! You kidding me?! First tube too. YES. I've seen this band since 1992. 18 years. This show my friends is what it is all about. Why we track setlists, why we record (and traded) shows, why we care how the band is doing personally - because they can make music like this. Music that fuels the soul.

My favorite night at the Greek, even the cookie monster made an appearance. They played some songs that I wanted to hear at some point (Reba, Tube, Army of One, Lizards). They played an epic version of a new song called "Light" and made me believer. The "2001 > Suzy Greenberg > Slave to the Traffic Light" contained the greatest Suzy Greenberg I have EVER heard. They stopped at the end of the song for about ten measures, and while waiting for the next song to begin, they exploded with a super Suzy reprise! The next day at DIA somebody paged her at the airport. "Ms Greenberg, Ms Suzy Greenberg...".

The third and final night at the Greek started off a bit slow to my ears, easily the weakest set of the six but everything changed once they charged into 46 Days and I do mean everything. The band pepped up, the overall FOH sound got louder and the party really got rolling at this point, extending through the rest of the 1st set and carrying over to the 2nd set, especially from Theme From The Bottom on. Suzy Greenberg was the best one I've ever witnessed live, WOW! And I was told while it was happening that The Lizards as an Encore was a rare thing, thanks to julesmac for confirming out how rare of an occurrence it was/is. First Tube was the way to close out three damm great nights@The Greek. Thanks to my peeps that flew in with me from NYC, 'bout twleve in all, and thanks to City of Berkeley, the Univ of Cali and the staff at The Greek for simply letting us be...:-smile.

I read all the reviews anymore, and thank everyone who posts them for filling me in on what I missed, as well as seeing what others thought of shows I'd been to. But I have to comment on the Pitts review. I find eveything said meaningful and know that sometimes, even my favorite songs can turn out to be clunkers, depending on how they were played. But I had to laugh when I see someone dis an AC/DC Bag --> Foam opener (as well as not being stoked for a Reba), but, in the same set, talk about how "Jibboo" really got things going. I found that hilarious.

The first set is superb just extremely solid front to back. Bag is very strong right out of the gate, no real stretch to it but very solid. Foam is well played. The highlight for me of the first set is Jibboo, it's very pretty and just fantastic hose throughout. It is definitely 11 minutes that is worth any fan of hose and/or Jibboo. Reba, Sleep Again, and Army of One are all just top notch with great tight playing. 46 days is also fantastic with an amazing solo by Trey and a cool but brief jam at the end.

The segue from Wilson to Light is interesting to say the least. Maybe a little rushed? One of those segues that I'm not sure is a ripchord or almost flawless. Regardless it is very apparent that they had plans for light from the get go and they're just gonna go for it. The jam starts out pretty intense, it mellows out as Trey noodles around as Page adds layers of ambient noise. The remainder is just a nice pulsing groove I like quite a bit. Hood is very thoughtful and strong. Theme is also extremely strong and has a very triumphant solo by Trey. Suzy even has a little extra to it. Slave is pretty standard but who complains about Slave closing a set?

Ok it's been a pretty long show maybe just a short encore? Nope! They play Lizards and First Tube.

Wow! This show is the real deal, folks. Highlights abound, including truly great versions of a few songs (Light, Suzy, Slave) and very good versions of several others (Jibboo, Reba, 46 Days, Hood). Such great flow from one song to the next during each of the 3 segments where consecutive arrows appear in the setlist. Throw solid takes on a couple of well-placed rarities into the mix, and you have a special night of Phish music!

Light from this show deserves more than a passing mention. The open-ended jam is one of the most mesmerizing you'll hear from any song, in any year.

what a treat, I was lucky to be at all three of these shows and it was a blast. I particularly enjoyed this last show. It had a vibe to it that I have not felt in decades. The last time I was the Berk Greek was 1985 for the dead, and at this final show it really felt like garcia was being tapped into for inspiration, the guitar sounds from trey just floated in the air in the manner that only garcia could do so well but sadly rarely achieved after 1990. I don't feel a need to go song by song on this review other than to say that for me, it was magical. Yes, it might sound rather slow at times to most people but this was the vibe of the day, old school northern california vibe... perfect ! And btw, my first phish show was in a small bar in Chicago April of 1991, this was much better than that show...

46 days was pretty rippin. It took a while for that song to grow on me, but they kept it funky all summer with this one. The tube was an ankle breaker, but I felt that Page got off slow or missed the timing on his solo. Regardless, the tube was nasty. Any phish is great phish as well all know.

These 3 shows were some of the Best I'd seen since '98 Island Tour. I was absolutely amazed with the Greek.

Me and my buddy Matt hadn't been able to get into nights one or two from the Berkley. Night one we were treated to a humerous interlude from a Boston kid who apologized many times for us not getting into the show, but that everyone from the East Coast *had* to go, they *had* to get in and get their Phish. He sailed along that tack for a time. Cool dude.

Anyhow, if you've never been in the Greek make a point to see a show there if ever in Berkley you are. It's awesome. A great dance pit with steep bench seating ending in a steep lawn. I have a secret dance spot.

Called the AC/DC Bag opener and it was smoking right out of the gate and setting a rollicking tone for the show. Evocative of the Boise '99 show, we dropped pretty quickly into some heavy grooves. Not necessarily funk, but sweet and sick. A great openeer that segued into another favorite of mine, Foam.

The previous three nights while we listened to the show from outside the venue, I had remarked several times that Mike was murdering people in there he was that dangerous. It was about now that the slaying commenced.

Next up the suds theme continued with Gotta Jibboo and what was for me the first ambient jam that just flowed out of the groove they lay down. This is a solid Jibboo. Reba as well, but I always love the whistle.

But my first set highlight was my first electric Sleep Again. This is a song they'd play more of. It grooves and soars at the same time, hard to do and they just plain kill it and go off on little journey's that mirror that lick.

Then it was time to rock our socks off by kicking ass from 46 Days til Character 0. This got soupy thick with metal shredding from all members and the first set ended in a sweaty, fist-thrusting yell. A truly rocking first set.

The audience seemed stunned to see the band again as a half-hearted 'woo' greeted the band upon their return to the stage. That was quickly remedied when after a moment they launched into Wilson. If I had thought it rocked hard in the first set, I discovered quite soon that this version of Phish likes to push the 'metal' envelope.

Push on til the day, say I.

A solid Light segued into another first for me, Twenty Years later. I think this song is the best one off Joy and when they nail the outro it puts some metal bands to shame. A blistering Hood which was also shredded followed. The audience erupted and whatever lingering dullness that had lingered after set break had been dispelled by some of the hardest rock I'd ever seen Phish play.

Then they started Theme From the Bottom at which point some dude behind me went off, so if you hear a dude hooting and hollering and then a response that goes something like "This guy really likes Theme From the Bottom", I'm the replyer.

But I digress. I, too, am a big fan of Theme and this is a song that I think Phish keeps getting better and better at playing since they've returned. This one is adventurous and fun and rages into a delicate swirl, leaving the crowd calm like the ocean on a still day.

Only to see the surface erupt as 2001 (Also Sprach Zarathustra) emerged. This was a trip down memory lane to late 90's funk-rock with the theme played only twice and lots of sick vamps in between. Dance party scene du jour.

Our collective energy was bumped up another notch as Phish broke into Suzy. This one was jammed out quite a bit in between verses with all members grooving along and noone truly dominating the moment. Living After Midnight was, for me, an anthem as a young child (along with You've Got Another Thing Coming and Pain Killer by Judas Priest as well as many other classic head-banging tunes) and this was a spiked-leather clad fist that rocked the night. One of the better Suzies (but not better than Festival 8's...that's a tough act to top, comparable to Darien Lake '00) and was so rocking and everyone was so into it and possibly epic journey's ahead of them I was sure we were done.

Nope. Slave to the Traffic Light and it was perfect. Slowed it all down, let everyone catch a breath and savor this last intimate show in an epic venue and then built it back up into a deep rumble that was bruising. My first Lizards would have been enough, but noooooo, we had to funk out one last time as Phish surfed it's way out of California with First Tube.

If you like Phish when they reach into the depths of rock and draw forth the sword of metal, aflame with the fire of rock...than get this show. I'm going livephish style.

I'd like to thank D'Bo and Ali for a great after party and Geri for the ride that took Matt and I to Telluride.

Ok let's do this. First off, I didn't go to nights 1 and 2 (I heard night 2 was the best) but a good show to a very good run.

The venue - the venue is ridiculous and adds a lot of weight to the overall show experience. It is northern california, berkeley, bay area so the weather and the people are extra chill. Also nice to have constant fresh, revitalizing air blowing especially with all the smoke to be found at a phish show. Because the show is on a college campus, it had a youthful nostigic feeling. Liberal Berkeley campus security were very accomodating. Felt fairly intimate with panoramic views, not a bad seat in the house. Beer line short, bathroom line long. Never have I been to a venue where people did not want to leave after the show was over then the greek.

AC/DC Bag (7:35) - eh, could have used a punch you, or something a little more electrifying to open the show...

Foam (9:09) - Ok we know you guys are technically proficient but it's not everybody's favorite song including me. Stop eating the clock and let's get the show on the road....

Gotta Jibboo (11:53) - Now we're talking, nice long drawn out version that I think got the show going...

Reba (12:12)...initially wasn't excited to hear the song but patience leads to rewards. Once Mike's "ba-dah ba-dah ba-dah" gets going and everybody starts bouncing its on...

Sleep Again (6:11) - Unremarkable. Is this new? A Trey song?

Army of One (4:46) - Anything Page touches becomes beautiful and this is no exception. What a strong and confident voice (can we get more half way to the moon please). Does anyone else think this song starts out like it could be the closing theme to Saturday night live?...

Poor Heart (2:10) - Mike's turn and blue grass is Mike's forte...

46 Days (7:48) - Intially wasn't psyched to here it, but it was indeed rockin'

Tube (4:16) - a needed infusion of funk. Trey's voice isn't as fast and spunky as say Hampton comes alive (must stop comparing this song to late 90s funk era), but it's still funky in its own right.

Character Zero (7:42) - a fine closer to the first set

SET TWO

Wilson (4:43) - I need a drawn out crazy improv to start my second set. At first I thought they were going to do to Wilson what they did to Chalk Dust Torture earlier this summer but no such luck.

Theme from the Bottom (8:59) - always a welcome addition to most any set, the song is like pizza, good almost any way you have it.

2001 (8:27) - concert offically stamped funky. But I wish they would have transitioned into it from Theme. You shouldn't strike up 2001 from scratch unless you are starting the second set.

Suzy Greenberg (10:42) - it's true what they are saying, one of the best I have ever heard, especially with that powerful encore coming right back at ya.

Slave to the Traffic Light (13:16) - always a welcoming show closer especially when the beauty of the song can be matched by the beauty of the venue.

ENCORE

The Lizards (10:14) - a nice, rare surprise for an encore. Was pretty good, but I am still stuck on last year's Camden version.

First Tube (8:38) - Another nice surprise of a second encore. However, I witnessed 12/4/09 MSG first hand from teh upper section and looking down at that crowd never have you seen waves of energy erupt like that in your life. As much as I was jumping up and down I couldn't make Trey dance more intensly. Still nice to hear.

post script - If you missed Moksha with the chick from Trey band and the guy from Santana's band at Blakes on Telegraph for the after-party show then you missed out. They brought the funk, the intensity, passion... and horns. Check em' out the next time you are in Vegas, I know I will.

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